Love of heritage: Traipsing through tantalising Tbilisi, the Georgian capital

A view of the Georgian capital Tbilisi from the top. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city is a quaint mix of the modern and the medieval with a rich and fascinating past. A former Soviet colony, it marries European and Asian influences to serve up a compelling cultural cocktail. Pulsating bars, restaurants, art galleries and museums enhance the city’s vibrancy with centuries-old sulphur bathhouses adding whimsy to the mix.

Tbilisi is a slow burn; it draws you in inexorably but reveals itself teasingly like a seductive mistress. Be that as it may, with its affordable accommodation, world-class dining, free entrances to museums and Unesco World Heritage sites, as well as lush wine trails located a stone’s throw away from the city, the destination is increasingly featuring on bucket lists. Here are a few must-dos in the Caucasian metropolis:

Old Town

At the cavernous underground Meidan market, sample delicious eats, drinks, souvenirs and more. (Photo: Neeta Lal)

The atmospheric Old Town is the pivot around which Tbilisi flows. Peppered with charming 19th century wooden structures with carved verandas, its narrow shopfronts host atmospheric cafés, wine bars and art galleries.

Centuries-old monuments stand cheek-by-jowl with modern constructions, museums, souvenir shops, mosques, synagogues and Christian churches mirroring the city’s multicultural and inclusive core.

Stroll around, go souvenir shopping at the cavernous underground Meidan market, sample delicious cheese-filled khachapuri bread at a local bakery, sip delicious local wines at taverns.

Narikala Fort

Nip up to the vertiginous Narikala Fort by cable car to view the craggy remains of its  fourth-century Persian and eighth-century Arab fortifications. A breathtaking panorama opens out from here like a Bollywood vista.

Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Mtkvari River. (Photo: Mostafa Meraji via Unsplash)

Soak it all in, rifle for souvenirs in tiny kiosks, and slake your thirst with the habit-forming foamy pomegranate juice freshly squeezed by vendors. Local musicians playing enchanting traditional Georgian tunes add to the sensory experience.

Refreshed and refueled, take a cliff-top path to Karitlis Deda, the 20m tall Mother of Georgia statue. Erected in 1958, it towers over Tbilisi like a guardian, embodying the classic Georgian spirit — welcoming friends with a cup of wine in one hand and enemies with a sword in the other.

The Chronicles of Georgia

The Chronicles of Georgia monument in Tbilisi. (Photo: Mike Swigunski via Unsplash)

Built by legendary Georgian-Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli, 89, and gifted to the Georgian people, the site is worth visiting both for the monument itself, which is staggering in scale and fascinating in detail, and for gob smacking views of the city. Walk around the towering bronze structures offset by the azure Tbilisi Sea. Admire the great artist’s chronicling of history on gargantuan pillars dotted by figures of saints, scholars, writers and artists. Pop into the small chapel  located on the premises to marvel at its stunning stained glass artwork.  For more of Tsereteli’s works,  visit the Saint Nino Monument located at the entrance of Tbilisi. Built in the 1990s, when the USSR was dismantled, it showcases St Nino, (one of the most important religious figures for Georgians) who preached Christianity in the 4th century.

Wine and dine

From hole-in-the-wall bakeries hawking fresh, aromatic breads to buzzy cafes and fine dining outlets, Tbilisi’s foodscape sizzles with promise. As Georgia’s wining and dining playground, the city has absorbed the best culinary traditions of the Middle East, Europe and Western Asia to tickle the most pernickety of palates. The Gault Milau-endorsed Veriko, located on Vasil Petriashvili Street, is a must visit for its well-curated menu of classic and modern Georgian dishes. Try Shkermuli (chicken in garlic sauce); Gejbalia (cheese in cream sauce); Elarji (cornbread) served with the local Sulguni cheese; Pkhali (mixed veggies) and more. Wash it all down with fine Georgian wines processed in qvevris,  following the 8,000-year-old wine making process classified by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Or head to the stunningly beautiful, multiple-award-winning Haerze Brasserie next door for quintessentially European fare: fresh and silky Burrata salad; melt-in-the-mouth foie gras, classic French onion soup, and filet minion, reminiscent of the fabulous fare in the French capital city.

Take a Sulphur bath

Georgia Gulo’s thermal spa. (Photo: Neeta Lal)

The terracotta-hued bathhouses in Abanotubani in the Old City offer deeply relaxing rubdowns and baths in traditional settings. Opt for a private bathhouse as against the cheaper public ones for more privacy and better service. Gulo’s Thermal Spa came highly recommended and it was indeed an experience. After a 30-minute soak in the sulfur water tub, the therapist guided me to a stone bed where began  an energetic scrub with a loofah with an intermittent splashing of hot water. Soap application with a pillow cover soaked in suds followed by another hot water soak melted away all aches and pains. Feeling reborn, I navigated the beautiful Ottoman-style tiled venue to get to a room where tea with dry fruits and cherries soaked in an ambrosial syrup were proffered.

Hic hic hurray

Georgian Kvevri, ancient wine vessel. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Oenophiles will delight in world class wines Tbilisi offers. However, for a more immersive experience, drive down to the Kakheti region (about 90 minutes from the city) where local families make wine aged in beeswax-lined terracotta urns called qvevri or kvevri. The containers are buried deep in the ground to promote organic fermentation under naturally stable conditions. With a wine-making culture stretching back 8000 years, Georgia is renowned as the original cradle of viticulture.  Head to Tsereteli Wines, a reputed mid-size winery, which cultivates and makes a diverse assortment of international award-winning wines. Stroll around the sprawling complex to view their traditional qvevri containers, French oak barrels and shiny stainless steel tanks. The winery produces high quality authentic Georgian wines, each bottle embodying the philosophy of life, core values ​​and vision of its creators — the Tsreteli family. Sample gems such as the Mkhargrdzeli, Ghvinis Tetri, Khikhvi and Rkatsiteli Rose and raise a glass to life’s finer things.

Day trips

Mtskheta, one of Georgia's oldest cities and its former capital. (Photo: Neeta Lal)

Barely 30 minutes from Tbilisi nestle the twin Unesco World Heritage sites of Jvari Monastery and Mtskheta, one of its oldest cities and a former Georgian capital. The picturesque settlement is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World located at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Home to several significant historical landmarks as well as cafes and souvenir shops, the region is highly Instagrammable.

Georgia Jvari monastery. (Photo: Neeta Lal)

No less pretty is the adjoining sixth-century Georgian Orthodox Jvari Monastery with exceptional relief sculptures embellishing its façade. Stroll around to soak in stunning city views from here, or saunter into the great church’s beatific innards and light a votive candle while experiencing serenity washing all over you.